Clive Lewis quits shadow cabinet over Brexit – but he won’t be gone for long

This Writer respects his principled decision to resign from his shadow cabinet post because he could not follow Jeremy Corbyn’s three-line whip, but it is clear that there is absolutely no enmity between the two politicians.

In his own statement, Mr Corbyn said: “I would like to thank Clive for his work in the shadow cabinet, which has underlined what an asset he is to the Labour Party and our movement.

“I understand the difficulties MPs representing constituencies which voted Remain have in relation to the European Union Withdrawal Bill. MPs have a duty to represent their constituents as well as their party.

“Labour will use every opportunity to hold the government to account and protect jobs, rights and living standards at every stage of the negotiations.

“I wish Clive well and look forward to working with him in the future.”

Mr Corbyn was always unlikely to penalise any rebelling Labour MP heavily, for precisely the reasons he set out in his statement.

Clive Lewis quit the shadow cabinet … following the Commons vote on Brexit.

The Norwich South MP, who only joined the Commons at the general election, quit as shadow business secretary because he could not accept Jeremy Corbyn’s three-line whip on the triggering of article 50.

Lewis, a former Territorial Army soldier and an early Corbyn supporter in summer 2015, said he was quitting the frontbench with a “heavy heart”.

“When I became the MP for Norwich South, I promised my constituents I would be ‘Norwich’s voice in Westminster, not Westminster’s voice in Norwich’. I therefore cannot, in all good conscience, vote for something I believe will ultimately harm the city I have the honour to represent, love and call home,” he said in an emotional statement.

Lewis ended weeks of speculation by issuing a joint statement with Corbyn and pledging to continue to work with the Labour leader

Like they did all the way through the debate. You know exactly what Tory Brexit entails now, due to the amendments put forward by Labour (and others). The fact that those amendments were rejected shows exactly what we won’t get, and for that you should be grateful to Labour and the other Opposition parties.

But at least they could be much more forceful in their resistance to Brexit. As I showed, on this blog, earlier this week there is a whole load of people out there who did not want Brexit in the first place and are now ripe for recruitment to a “Stop Brexit Happening” Movement.

The Labour Party needs to be appealing to them as hard as possible with a total rejection of this foolishness, by opposing it at every opportunity.